28 July 2009

House Republican Leader Bruce Hanna (R-Roseburg) and Rep. Tim Freeman (R-Roseburg) introduced HB 3497 to provide a fix for certain classes of engines that don’t operate well with ethanol-blended fuel.

HB 3497 will give service stations the choice of selling unblended premium fuel. The bill addresses the concerns we’ve heard from many Oregonians who have experienced problems with the state’s ethanol mandate. HB 3497 doesn’t repeal the mandate, but better enables loggers, snowmobilers, fisherman and others to purchase the fuel they need to operate their equipment safely and effectively.

—Rep. Freeman

Under previous law, retailers are required to sell gasoline that contains at least 10% ethanol. Though a 2008 law permitted the sale of unblended fuel for certain non-road uses, unblended fuel has been difficult to access because of distribution and storage issues.

The bill permits the sale of gasoline not blended with ethanol of the gasoline has an octane rating of 91 or above or if the gasoline is for use in:

An aircraft either with a supplemental type
certificate approved by the Federal Aviation Administration that allows the
aircraft to use gasoline that is intended for use in motor vehicles; or that
is issued a type certificate by an aircraft engine manufacturer that allows
the aircraft to use gasoline that is intended for use in motor vehicles;

An aircraft that has been issued an experimental
certificate, described in 14 C.F.R. 21.191, by the Federal Aviation
Administration and that is required by the manufacturer’s specifications to
use gasoline that is intended for use in motor vehicles;

A light-sport aircraft that is required by the
manufacturer’s specifications to use gasoline that is intended for use in
motor vehicles;

A vintage aircraft, as defined by the Oregon
Department of Aviation by rule, that is required by the manufacturer’s
specifications to use gasoline that is intended for use in motor vehicles;

An antique vehicle;

A Class I all-terrain vehicle;

A Class III all-terrain vehicle;

A racing activity vehicle;

A snowmobile;

Tools, including but not limited to lawn mowers, leaf
blowers and chain saws; or

Comments

The prohibition of the sale of non ethanol gasoline in Oregon is a violation of the Constitution and is based on faulty science and logic. The sale of hydroelectric power from Federally owned power generators to Oregon should be discontinued forever and the power shipped inland on long Direct Current transmission systems to states that do not have an infinitely high duty on ordinary gasoline contrary to the constitution.

The requirement will endanger the cars and have people violate warrenty requirements. It already has destroyed the small engines of many people without them knowing it.

People from out of state are forced to sacrifice their engines and fuel systems upon the altar of the false Oregonian CO2 Religion.

The ethanol requirement allows the politicians to hide the true producers of CO2 on the highways, large engined automobiles and high speed limits. If these true producers of CO2 were prohibited including the sale of SUVs in Oregon to anyone, these politicians would not survive an election.

Long before ethanol is required, the use of cogeneration in all new and refurbished commercial and private buildings should be required. Cogeneration can charge electric cars with lower CO2 release than any fuel of any composition of ethanol, actually any composition of hydrocarbon even perhaps also hydrogen.

Zebra batteries have had for over ten years adequate energy capacity for any car use if always combined with fuel powered range extenders of a size determined by use patterns down to the size of a model airplane engine.

Until Oregon politicians require the replacement of all fuel powered generation, including natural gas, with nuclear reactors, they are concealing the truth about their ability and intent to reduce CO2 and pandering to false beliefs to get reelected. Ethanol is considered by many to increase the release of CO2 and it cannot be proved differently. Compressed natural Gas cars are far more effective at reducing CO2. Just requiring low horsepower engines in all vehicles would reduce CO2 much more. Speed limits were mentioned. ..HG..

My Henry, you're starting to sound well informed. I am really surprised that Oregon would retreat to plain ole gazoline in this day of global warming.

"People from out of state are forced to sacrifice their engines and fuel systems upon the altar of the false Oregonian CO2 Religion."

Bit harsh for a lousy 10% ethanol blend. Years ago they used to put friggin lead (Pb) in gazoline to soften the knocks. How much worse for our air and lungs to you suppose a real pollutant like lead is than alcohol? I still like Oregon - they lead much of the nation in environmental action. They just went down the wrong road with the AGW bit.

I look at alternative fuels as reducing oil imports, not so much reducing CO2 nor improving air quality. If we can get cellulose biofuels on a large scale, we can reduce oil imports, it is as simple as that.

1) "It already has destroyed the small engines of many people without them knowing it."

Well, Mr. Gibson, I live in Minnesota, where we have had E10 gasohol mandated for several years. I may be one of the people of whom you speak, with a destroyed engine. And, like you say, I don't know it, because my lawnmowers (walk-behind and riding), chainsaw, weed whipper, and portable generator are all still working just fine after using the E10 product for years. Also, my cars engines (1991 Chrysler New Yorker, 2003 Infiniti QX4) must have been destroyed "upon the altar of the false Oregonian CO2 Religion," but they still run pretty good for a "destroyed" engine, both with well over 100,000 miles on the clock.

I believe you are a bit alarmist, and perhaps ill-informed. I even 'splash blend' E10 with E85 in my Chyrsler to produce a E25 mixture, and it has been running swimmingly (18/25 mpg cty/hwy) with no fuel system problems. In the cold Minnesota winters, my car starts at -40F degrees easily. In addition, with E25 blended in my tank, I pay about $2.289 a gallon for fuel.

Henry is just fear mongering, Bush did it for 8 years, so he is just keeping up the tradition. There is something evil about putting doubt into people's minds that is totally unfounded. It is like hackers and vandals, if they can affect good people's lives they feel that their delusions of power are pseudo validated.